At least five suspects were arrested and elephant tusks valued at Sh6 million were seized during two separate operations targeting wildlife poaching.
In the first incident, a suspected poacher was shot and wounded after a confrontation with police along the Kehancha-Isebania road in Kuria, Migori County. According to police, the suspect was part of a group transporting ivory in a salon car. During the Saturday afternoon operation, officers recovered eight pieces of ivory weighing 30 kilograms, valued at Sh3 million. The confrontation escalated when one of the suspects attempted to stab a police officer at a roadblock. The officer was stabbed in the left thumb, prompting another officer to shoot the attacker in the left thigh to incapacitate him. The injured suspect was taken to Isebania Sub County Hospital and is in stable condition. The other two suspects, including a Tanzanian national, were arrested and taken into custody.
In a separate, coordinated operation, officers from Mtwapa Police Station and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Mombasa arrested two Tanzanian nationals involved in the illegal ivory trade. Acting on a tip-off, the team raided the suspects’ hideout in Majengo, Mtwapa, and recovered 11 elephant tusks weighing 32.9 kilograms and valued at Sh3.3 million. The tusks were cleverly concealed in nylon sacks within three separate bags. The smugglers had reportedly crossed from Tanzania into Kenya through the Namanga border, planning to sell the tusks. The tusks were seized as evidence, and the suspects are set to face charges under the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013 for possession of endangered species trophies.
Authorities believe the seizure may be linked to the killing of up to two elephants, likely in nearby national parks. Despite a global ban on ivory trade, elephant poaching remains rampant due to high demand, particularly in East Africa.
To combat this ongoing threat, Kenya has stepped up its anti-poaching efforts with advanced surveillance technology, including drones, to track poachers and monitor wildlife. The Kenya Wildlife Service, in collaboration with other stakeholders, is also intensifying community outreach, interagency cooperation, and intelligence-led operations to tackle wildlife crime.
